Saturday, July 26, 2014

Avocado plant (potting and maintenance)

One thing to know about avocado trees, 
is that they don't like to much water, 
and they do like a sandy soil.
That said, here is how to transplant the avocado plant from the jar with water to soil.

I started by mixing soil and 

some sand.
This will help the water to drain.
Make a little hole in the center of the pot and place the plant with roots in there.
Water to compact the soil down, and drain all excess water.
Most likely the current leaves will turn brown and fall (ours did).
But the plant is not dead. 
When you see the leaves turn brown, 
don't give it more water 
(unless the soil is completely dry). 
Most people add more water...that will "drown" the plant. 
Avocado trees are sun-loving plants, 
so it is a must to place the avocado tree's pot in a place that receives 8-10 hours of direct sunlight per day.
Bring the pot into the garage or other area of covered shelter during the Winter to protect it from harsh weather. 
Do not water the avocado tree during the winter, 
because the tree goes dormant during the cold months.

Replant the avocado tree into a new pot in Spring or Summer if you opted to plant the pit in a small container. 
A mature avocado tree will need a pot that measures 18 to 24 inches in diameter and depth.
Here it is with the new growth.


Stay Frugal,
Daniela

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I really will have to try this next time I have one.

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Daniela,
Your avocado plant did recover very nicely. We have grown once from a pit too but it died. The climatic conditions in Georgia are not like in California where they grow many of them.
The problem here is always finding nutrient rich potting soil, moist is just mulched bark with very little in it.
The waterholding capacity of the local soil is very poor...
Sending you summer hugs,
Mariette

Amy of While Wearing Heels said...

Huh. I had always wondered how to do this. Thanks for the tips!

Katie Mansfield said...

I would love to try this. Great tips.

Libby said...

Thanks for the tips! Have you tried planting a pineapple? The avocado tips sound familiar to that, especially the sun part. The librarian on my job has been growing one for 4 years now. Finally I see the pineapple. She is so excited. I might want to try but you have to wait so long just for one. lol

junewl said...

i'm guessing that you are aware that it's almost impossible to actually get fruit from these plants...also, the avocado doesn't normally go dormant here (SoCal), so you could probably leave it inside your house during the cold winter months. the places they grow here do get frost, altho not very much and temps are usually not lower than 50f during the day, at the worst, and 40f-ish at night. normal winter daytime temps are in the 50-60f range but trees are watered, regardless. good luck!